Highlighted by an inaugural visit to one of the most historic race tracks in motorsports, a return trip to Montreal and plenty of driver star power, NASCAR announced today the 2012 schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Full-time rides for Danica Patrick and Austin Dillon plus the addition of action sports superstar Travis Pastrana who plans to run the majority of the schedule, give the 2012 season a huge dose of anticipation.
“From the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway to the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the 2012 schedule has a great mix of tracks that will continue to deliver great racing for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “We’re excited to bring the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with the addition of a second date at Kentucky Speedway.”
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season features 33 race dates, including the series’ first visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of a companion weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing. The inaugural Brickyard event will take place on July 28.
Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – a fan-favorite that has evolved into a “crown jewel” for the series – returns for a fifth-consecutive season, on Aug. 18. The 14-turn layout is one of three road-course events on the calendar, joining Road America (June 23) and Watkins Glen International (Aug. 11).
Additional 2012 schedule highlights:
· Daytona International Speedway again opens the season, on Feb. 25, a week later than past years.
· Iowa Speedway hosts the series’ first stand-alone event on May 20, with a second date on Aug. 4.
· Homestead-Miami Speedway will once again host the season-finale, on Nov. 17.
· For the first time, Kentucky Speedway will have two NASCAR Nationwide race dates, on June 29 and Sept. 22.
· Chicagoland Speedway also returns with two dates, one a stand-alone affair on July 22.
· Daytona’s summer event and Kentucky Speedway’s race will swap weekends in 2012, as the July 4th holiday falls mid-week next year. Daytona will run on July 6.
· In conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ schedule shift, Kansas Speedway’s date moves to Oct. 20 to accommodate the track’s repave, scheduled for April of 2012.
Below is the entire 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.
No Date Site 1 25-Feb Daytona 2 3-Mar Phoenix 3 10-Mar Las Vegas 4 17-Mar Bristol 5 24-Mar Fontana 6 13-Apr Texas 7 27-Apr Richmond 8 5-May Talladega 9 11-May Darlington 10 20-May Iowa 11 26-May Charlotte 12 2-Jun Dover 13 16-Jun Michigan 14 23-Jun Road America 15 29-Jun Kentucky 16 6-Jul Daytona 17 14-Jul Loudon 18 22-Jul Chicago 19 28-Jul Indianapolis 20 4-Aug Iowa 21 11-Aug Watkins Glen 22 18-Aug Montreal 23 24-Aug Bristol 24 1-Sep Atlanta 25 7-Sep Richmond 26 15-Sep Chicago 27 22-Sep Kentucky 28 29-Sep Dover 29 12-Oct Charlotte 30 20-Oct Kansas 31 3-Nov Texas 32 10-Nov Phoenix 33 17-Nov Homestead
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